Haze:: The Hunt
by Rena the Turk Intern
Summary: The pain of a father brings together Iris Delaflote and our favorite vampire hunter, D. However, when secrets long held come to light in the course of the hunt, Iris and D find that in the end, the only people they may depend on, are each other. REPOST!
1. Prolouge:: Her name is Iris

Haze is a project I started awhile ago, and I tried to continue it but I found I HATED the way Iris just turned into a character I could not respect. In addition, I found there was a large amount of writer's block that surrounded any attempt I had to continue the story.

So, here is a new rendition of Haze, just at there is a new rendition of Heaven, Hell, anything in between, and No Use Crying Over Spilled Blood. Hopefully, I can keep updating these stories, and stop pissing everyone off with my inability to post new chapters.

Disclaimer:: If Vampire Hunter D was mine, do you think Iris would just be a fanfiction character? Also, I think I would have more money than I do now.

Prologue

Purging Night

"The purging night, the night we called forth our strength and purged this world of the demons who reside in mortal bodies, those disgusting witches!" the preacher cried to his congregation. A loud amen was heard through the people, all agreeing with the preacher's message.

"For, it was on that night that we hunted them, dragged them into the light, and burned them to save their condemned souls!" the man yelled, pounding his fist onto the podium. Another loud praise of approval was heard from the congregation.

"Yet, there are still those out there who possess the powers of hell! The air they breathe is an abomination, a scar upon the earth! They shall all be dragged into the light, and they shall all burn for the redemption of their SOULS!"

At this, a loud chorus of yells and cheers was heard, prompting Iris to look up from where she'd been collecting herbs from the church's garden.

"Damn, those people can be pretty loud," she muttered, uprooting a mint plant. After all, the garden she shared with her master at their humble cottage was very limited on the herbs. She looked over at some of the vegetables that the church grew and contemplated grabbing some carrots, hers were on the small side and the ones the church had were huge. However, just as she was rising to walk over to where the carrots were, the bell began to ring, marking the end of the service. Iris jumped to her feet and sprinted down the hill and thru the trees that covered the hill. At one point she lost her foot and stumbled down the lush greenery of the hill until she landed on her knees at the bottom. When she heard the sounds of the churchgoers voices carrying down the hill, she got up and kept running. Finally, she reached the creek that ran through the forest and slowed her pace to a walk and casually strolled along the bank, letting her heartbeat slow to its usual pace.

For a long period of time Iris continued her path along the creek in silence. The sermon she'd over heard from the priest was still in her mind, and she found herself wondering what those people would say if they knew there were two witches, well her master chose to be called a wizard, living within the forested area outside their town. A sudden feeling of shame came over her with the fact she'd just been in the church garden stealing, an offense which could have brought unwanted attention their way. It wasn't her fault they had barely an herbs in their garden, and without the touch of spices and herbs the vegetable dishes her master would cook up were known for being rather bland. She was just trying to help. Without thinking about it, Iris found herself speaking to herself.

"Well, this was fun. Nearly blew our cover to get some fucking herbs so dinner wouldn't taste so bland!" Iris growled, kicking a stone. The stone riquechetted off of another and plopped into the creek with a splash. Iris watched the resulting ripples and sighed, plopping down on the bank with a slight thump.

"Purging Night, what a fucking farce. I mean, all those jackasses did was drag people out of their homes and burn them. It should be murder night, masacre night, purging night makes it sound like a good thing. Fucking farce," she muttered, gently dipping her fingertips into the water and splashing around a bit.

"Iris, what the hell are you doing out here?" asked a stern voice from behind her.

She jumped and turned around to face her master, a man with thinning, gray hair and large green eyes that seemed to sparkle like emeralds. She sighed, reached into her pack, and pulled out some of the herbs she'd taken from the garden.

"I see. May I ask who you stole these from?" asked her master. Iris turned her eyes away and muttered something under her breath.

"I didn't hear that Iris," her master badgered her.

"I said I took it from the church garden. I'm sorry master," she muttered. Her master motioned for her to follow him and Iris got off the ground.

"I know you're at an age where I can't control you anymore," her master began, which allowed Iris to determine he was going to embark on one of his long winded speeches. "You may not believe it, but this old bastard was once a fourteen, and trust me, I was a hell raiser in my day too."

"However, in this day an age, when we're supposed to be gone, totally extinct, we should not attract any attention to ourselves which includes breaking into the church and stealing herbs from the garden," her teacher said.

"I was just....I was trying to help. No offense, but I really don't like tasteless food," said Iris.

"Well nether do I. However, I'll take them over having another angry mob of villagers chase me out of a home, again," said her master.

They approached a humble cottage that had long been covered in vegetation. A small ammount of smoke leaked from a chimney that slightly protruded from the lush greenery that hid the house.

Her master reach under a mass of vegetation and opened a door, which he held open for Iris, and then slammed shut. Inside, the cottage was cluttered with books, pots, pans, and a few pots that held some simmering liquids.

"Well, since you went out of your way to get these, let's have some cooked pheasant tonight. By the way, did you finish that potion I had you start on this morning?" asked her master. Iris paled and ran to a cauldron that was filled with an orangish, thick smelly broth. She groaned and pulled out a book, studying the text and then staring back at the broth.

"What did you do wrong?" asked her master, coming up behind her. Iris shook her head.

"Well....I added the Nightshade," she began.

"And?" her master badgered.

"I....added half a cup of water and some spider legs," she said.

"Aaaaaand?" he master said, motioning with his hands.

"And....Oh crap! I forgot the beetles before I heated it!" she yelled.

"Exactly, which is why you have that mess on your hands. Throw it out and try again," her master instructed.

Iris walked outside and tried to throw the concoction out, but it was stuck in the cauldron. She even turned the cauldron over, but it would not come out. She sighed and threw the cauldron on the ground.

"Just pour nail polish remover on it. It thins out the mixture, and then you can toss it out," said her master from inside the house. Iris followed his directions and held her nose as the mixture took on a smell akin to rotten eggs mixed in a vomit soup. Sure enough, the color changed to a clearer reddish color and the mixture was easily thrown out into the yard.

Iris brought the cauldron back in and cleaned it out before starting on the potion. After about three or four hours, it was a cheery pink color and smelled slightly of vanilla, and when used correctly could clear up various skin ailments but was deadly to ingest. Iris smiled, the potion was exactly how it was supposed to be according to the book. Her master looked over her work and smiled.

"Exactly. Follow the directions, and you get what you want. Now come on, let's get something to eat," said her master.

Iris and her master sat down to a cooked pheasant, seasoned with some of the herbs Iris had taken from the garden, and some bread and vegetables from their own garden. It was silent between them, indicating the meal was good.

After awhile, her master put his fork down and looked at her.

"Iris, do you know what today is?" he asked.

Iris thought about this and shrugged. "Sunday?" she asked, picking up another forkful of food. Her master chuckled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small white handkerchief and handed it to her.

"Happy birthday," he said to Iris as she stared at the tiny bundle in her hand. Iris nearly choked on her food.

"It's my birthday?" she asked. Her master chuckled.

"Eight years ago I found you sitting in a patch of irises. I knew from the first glance you had the gift, we can sense these things you know. I took you in, and now eight years later instead of the fragile little girl I find myself looking at a blossoming young woman," said her master, leaning back in her chair.

Iris blinked and slowly unwrapped the handkerchief. Inside was a delicate looking silver chain, from which hung a small silver pendant with a deep sapphire gem. Iris stared at it in amazement, letting it hang off her fingers as the gem glittered in the miniscule light allotted by the windows of the shack.

"Wow...where did you get this?! This must have been worth a fortune!" she said with a gasp. Her master chuckled and looked her in the eyes.

"A small girl held it in her hands eight years ago. Of course then, the chain had been broken, and the pendant itself needed some repair. I thought, given that you are now much older, that it was an appropriate time to turn it over to you," said her master.

Iris smiled and slowly put the necklace on. It seemed to glow the second it hung around her neck, and Iris wondered if it might hold some sort of magical energy. However, when she saw her master either did not see the glow, or did not acknowledge it, she decided it was a question that could wait until another time.

~_~_~_~

Iris did not know what it was that awakened her in the early hours of the morning. Iris rubbed her eyes and looked out the window near her bed. Her eyes widened when, through the thick vegetation, she could see burning torches. She threw back her sheets and sprinted from the bed.

"Master!" she hissed, looking for him in the darkness of the house. She nearly screamed when she felt his hand on her shoulder but her master clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh...I've already gathered some clothes, and the spell book. We need to get out," her master hissed. he moved his hand off her mouth and handed her a bag.

"How do we get out, they've surrounded us!" she hissed. In the darkness, a smile stretched itself across his face.

"Do you think I would move somewhere without an escape plan? Move to the side please," he said Iris did as he said and her master threw back a dingy, beige rug to reveal a door in the floor. He pulled it up and motioned for her to get in. Iris did as he said and was looking back to have him come in after her, but her master quickly closed the door, locking her in pitch blackness.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled. She could hear creaking and the sound of something being pushed across the floor. Fear creeping into her veins, she tried to push on the door but it did not budge. Her master appeared to have pushed something over it.

"You better get going," her master's muffled voice yelled through the floorboards.

"Not without you! Please, let's get going! Come on! They'll kill you!" Iris screamed.

"I'm too slow, they'll catch us too easily if I'm with you. I'll fight them off, you go," her master commanded her.

Iris tried to yelled again but an explosion knocked her backwards. She coughed and felt dirt hit her face.

"The tunnel will go to the beach, it'll take you a few hours to get there. Now go, before I knock you back even farther," her master yelled. Iris looked forlornly at the door, and then slowly rose off the ground. She felt her legs were a bit wobbly, she guessed it was an after effect of being blasted backwards. She held out her hand and within a few moments, a small ball of light appeared, illuminating the dirt walls of the tunnel. She walked down the tunnel, tensing when she heard sounds of a struggle from above. Then, she pelted down the tunnel, her eyes filled with unshed tears, and never looked back at the house where her master held his last stand.


	2. Chapter 1:: Initial Meeting

Hello! Yay, prologue up and now for the first Chapter.

Some things to go through first.

1. Haze is a rewritten story because the original was written when I was in High school, and I feel it was a mockery of a fanfic. I mean, Iris, a character intended to be a strong female character ended up being a whiney, angsty little bitch who continually needed to be saved by D. After a few years of writing fanfics, I feel the way she was progressing was insulting to women...hell to Mary Sues all over the world!!! So, I decided to redo the story, make the characters more developed, and raise the IQ of a little.

That's about it.

Chapter 1

Initial Meeting

~~~Five Years Later~~~

The sun was most definitely hot, and Iris was an idiot.

It was the middle of the dessert, the sun scalding the sands that were occasionally whipped up by the rare wind that roared through the plains, and she was dressed with a black cape covering part of her. It felt like she was boiling as she shielded her eyes, luckily covered by a pair of goggles which allowed a great deal of protection, and scanned the horizon. No one else was out there, and she couldn't even see the possibility of town or city anywhere near her location.

A scarf wrapped around the lower portion of her face kept her from inhaling the dust and sand kicked up by the winds, but the humidity caused by her breath made it very uncomfortable and slightly disgusting. She sighed with the fact she was still probably miles from civilization and was about to continue walking when she heard a sound that sounded strangely like a trotting horse. She paused, briefly flipping her goggles up to allow her brilliant blue orbs to scan the landscape for the source of such a sound. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a dark shape moving toward her very fast. She watched as the shape grew bigger, until she could see the person riding towards her.

He, well, she hoped it was a he, for all she knew it could be a she, or an it for that matter, since he/she/it had very long hair. He/she/it was very tall and was adorned in a black cape that billowed behind him as he rode. The horse he rode was a huge black beast, adorned with an ornate saddle. The person on the horse seemed to notice her cause they began to slow down. Iris flipped her goggles back down as he/she/it stopped in front of her, and she saw their face. "Excuse me, could I ask for a ride to the next town?" asked Iris. The person, it looked like a man, stared long into her eyes, and nodded. He/she/it helped her up onto the horse. She held on as they began riding towards the town.

The ride into the town was silent. She didn't feel like speaking, and apparently neither did the rider she had hitched a ride with. Usually, when she hitched rides with people, they would pester and prod her for some sort of reaction that might start a conversation, and the become slightly moody when her responses would be brief and unable to really build any sort of communication with. This man, however, just stared ahead, guiding the horse towards their destination. Iris may have even briefly fallen asleep before they reached the town in the early hors of the evening. After giving the man a brief thank you, to which he responded with a nod, she strolled into the nearest inn to procure some lodgings for the night.

The inn was part inn, part bar. The bar was the first thing she walked into when she entered the inn. It was smokey and foul smelling, like vomit and old beer. Thanking god for the cloth covering her nose that cut down on the smell, Iris approached the inn keeper/ bar tender and pulled out a pouch with her gold. She flipped her goggles up to allow her to see better in the little light in the room and the bar tender grunted, which she assumed meant he recognized she was there.

"Hello, I'm here for a room for the night," she said, her voice sightly muffled by the scarf.

The gruff, large man wearing a greasy stained apron and his hair plastered with grease looked her over. He caught sight of the pouch and smiled, rubbing his greasy, dirty hands on his apron, adding to the amount of filth on the garment.

"How much?" she inquired, ignoring the way he eyed her like a piece of meat.

"80 gold a night, plus 10 gold for room service," he said. Iris rolled her eyes, it was obvious the man was trying to get the money from her. She reached into the pack and drew out 70 gold.

"This is all I got. Will it do?" she asked. The man looked at the coins and scoffed.

"80," he commanded. Iris pulled herself level with him.

"71," she countered.

"79 or nothing," the man stated, clearly getting bored with the haggling over the price.

"Done," she said, throwing out the extra nine coins, taking her key and leaving as the man greedily scooped up his money.

The room was no better then the rest of the place. A foul reeking stench overpowered her and Iris thought she might vomit. Holding her breath in an attempt to keep from gagging, she walked into the room, opened a window, and looked around. "It might have been safer to sleep outside," she thought as she walked over the stained carpet. She looked at the bed. "God, I'd need a shower after lying here," she thought. The bed sheets were stained with god knows what. After some debate, she decided to pull the sheets and blankets off the bed. They were in the dessert, and if she got cold during the night she'd just use her cloak.

After stripping the bed, she pulled her scarf off and removed her cloak. Underneath her cloak she had been wearing a black tank top and jeans. Iris's feet were adorned with a huge pair of platform boots that elevated her off the ground a few inches and made her appear more intimidating than the 5ft, 5in girl she was. Her hair was in a small bun that kept it out of her way. An old cracked and dirty mirror was in the corner and she decided to see how she looked after a long trek through the dessert. The part of her face that had been exposed was covered in dirt, giving it a dull brown color. Iris decided that maybe she should take a shower before she would sleep.

She walked into the bathroom and was surprised that it seemed to be a bit cleaner then the room. As she walked in, she pulled the small hair tie that kept her hair up out, letting her raven locks fall to frame her face and fall down her back. Her hair was about down to her waist and a bit tangled from the long absence of a brush. Iris looked at herself in the mirror and played with the ends of her hair. It'd grown out a lot since the night she'd left her master, she wondered if he would recognize her after so many years....

With a shake of her head, she stripped of her clothing before walking into the shower. She turned on the hot water and sighed when she felt it run over her body. "Oh, this is wonderful..." she thought, tilting her head back to get some of the water on her neck. A quick search around revealed the location of two small bottles of shampoo and conditioner. A smile crossed over Iris's face.

After about thirty minutes, Iris exited the shower, drying herself off with a towel she had found that seemed clean enough to her. Iris combed her fingers through her hair in her attempt to rid herself of the tangles that had formed. When it did not seem to be working, she looked through her bag, found a brush, and went about ridding her hair of tangles. Eventually, she succeeded and let out a triumphant giggle. She threw off the towel, placed the brush back into the bag, and dressed in some baggy clothing she used as pajamas. She lied down on the bed, ignoring the smell of the stained mattress, and closed her eyes.

Traveling in the dessert for so long, her body felt like it was ready to just fall apart. She felt the exhaustion hit her like a ton of sand, each time she exhaled the next breath she took felt like it was harder to take the next breath, some invisible weight seemed to pull her further under the dark abyss of sleep that wanted to draw her in and claim her. Finally, she passed into sleep and found herself a brief reprieve from the horrid room in the disgusting inn.

..Elsewhere that night..

D entered the first inn he could find once he'd dropped his horse off at some stables. He wondered briefly if he might run into the woman he'd picked up, but once he entered the bar his thoughts turned more to not betraying his disgust over the location. The bartender asked for a ridiculous sum of money, which D paid to avoid making a scene by haggling over the price with the man. Then, he took his key and headed to his room, which he doubted would be much better then the bar himself.

Sure enough, it was as if a few hundred pigs had stayed time in the room before he was in it. There were stains on the bed and carpet, and various miscellaneous items strewn apart the room. Wrinkling his nose at the smell, D walked into the room and lied down on the dirty bed. His travels had thoroughly exhausted him, and he felt that he might need to rest for a while to regain his strength. As he settled down, he heard an all too familiar voice speak out.

_**"D! It stinks in here!"**_

"Shut up," D muttered, hovering somewhere between the dream realm and consciousness. _**"I'm just saying, couldn't you have picked a somewhat cleaner room?" **_His left hand asked. "This was the only inn in the town. Do you want me to risk getting heat exposure to travel to the next town?" asked D. His hand was silent for a while.

_**"So, what did you think of that young lady?" **_asked his hand in an amused tone. "She seemed tired, like she's been traveling as long as I have been," he said. His hand made a noise as if it was agreeing with him. _**"You should have seen if you could have gotten a little bite to eat D!"**_ the hand said comically. D growled and clenched his fist. _**"OW! OW! OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" **_screamed his hand. D opened his eyes halfway, exhaustion looming over his being. _**"ALL RIGHT! I'M SORRY! I GIVE UP!"**_ his hand yelled. D unclenched his fist slowly and finally passed into the dream realm.

Various thoughts and images passed before his eyes as he slept. D could never really remember his dreams, they all seemed to blend into a mixture of various colors and sensations. Sometimes, he would awaken crying, and other times he would wake with a start and no idea as to why he had been so sharply thrust from his sleep.

This nights dream seemed to revolve around the woman. She was standing in the middle of the dessert, but glowing, burning like a red hot ember. D reached forward, in the dream he did not seem to be concerned as to why a young woman was currently on fire. She turned to face him before he touched her and D retracted his hand. She was wearing the scarf over her mouth again, but her eyes were exposed, and they seemed to penetrate his very core. D reached out again, and this time made contact with her shoulder. She was not burning, as he would have suspected with her fiery exterior, but was cold, chilled as ice it seemed. She smiled at him, and then looked upwards. D looked up, but the woman disappeared with a loud bang, thrusting D out of his dreams and into reality.

With a start, D found himself sitting up in the bed and feeling a mixture of disgust, confusion, and slight curiosity. The room was filled with a fiery orangish red light that seemed to come from the window. D opened the curtains and noticed a building across the street was blazing. As he watched, a darkened shape creeped away from the building and ran off while people filled the street, screaming and crying out about the fire. Without missing a beat, he grabbed his sword and leapt out of the window, running after the shape he'd seen.

Meanwhile, Iris, who'd been pleasantly immersed in her own dreams, toppled out of the bed with the initial blast. She got off the ground and rolled her eyes, cursing with each breath. She looked out her own window, saw the fire, and then saw two shapes disappear into the shadows of the night. Iris grabbed her bag and rifled through until she pulled out a series of sharp, silver knives before bolting out of the inn and across the street.

It was pandemonium, people were gathered everywhere and Iris pushed her way through. When she came near the burning wreckage, she felt the heat from the flames upon her body. She ran past the flames and followed the same path the darkened shapes had.

After a few blocks, Iris was lost in the darkened town. She took a break, leaning against the brick wall of a home and sighed. She was unsuccessful in tracking down the individuals that appeared to be responsible from the fire. She wondered what she would have done if she caught up with them, if and decided she just would have brought them into the proper authorities and then cleaned her hands of it.

Once she was finished catching her breath, Iris grabbed her goggles and pulled them over her eyes. She quickly looked around, cast a spell on the goggles, and then tapped them twice. At first, nothing happened, but then before Iris's eyes two thin trails of light formed on the goggles. She walked forward, following the trails, when she noticed they suddenly branched off and one was rapid warping and changing. He blood ran cold when she realized the path of the warped trail when it finally settled, and quickly turned around to see a darkened shape behind, its hand raised to strike her across the face.


	3. Chapter 2:: A proper introduction

Chapter 2

The proper introduction

The smack of the hand against her cheek was a shock, but she had feeling it was not as bad as the kick she delivered to the darkened figure's groin. The figure cursed and went down, only to catch her toe as she kicked him under the chin and knocked his head back.

Someone came from behind her and pushed her to the side, sending her crashing to the ground. She looked up to see the same person who'd picked her up that afternoon in the dessert. The darkened shape stepped into the light offered by the fire and Iris could better see his face. He was young, possibly around Iris's age, and lanky and thin. His face was drawn into a scowl, and he was wearing a simple shirt that hung off his skinny body like a cape, and a pair of pants with no shoes or socks. Iris felt her hand go to her knives and she watched the man's eyes travel between the mysterious man who'd helped her, and herself. Finally, he started laughing.

"Do you idiots think it's wise to strike me, a world class vampire, in the middle of the night? Don't you know anything? Just go on your way and I won't drain you both dry," he teased when he'd settled down enough to speak.

Iris rolled her eyes and smirked.

"World class vampire, huh? I see nothing more than a pile of shit, what about you?" she asked, looking at the mystery man.

"Let's end this," he said simply, drawing a long sword. Iris blinked, then shrugged. So the guy wasn't much of talker, she could accept that.

The vampire charged Iris and she prepared herself. When he was within reach, Iris growled and struck at him with her knives. She nicked his ear, laughing as the man reached up to touch his bleeding ear. The vampire looked at her and growled. "Think that was funny bitch?" he asked. In a flash his leg lashed out and sent her to the ground, where he tried to strike her again only to get slashed across the chest while she tried to regain her balance and get back up onto her feet. The man cursed and struck her again, knocking her backwards with such forced she was thrown into the burning wreckage of the building the vampire had set on fire.

The flames were intense. The hot air felt like it was burning her lungs and Iris could barely move with the pain of being struck so hard. She concentrated and took one of her knives and pricked the tip of her finger. Luckily, she'd learned a spell early on that had the purpose of helping in a situation such as the one she found herself in.

Meanwhile, D intervened in the fight as he saw the woman fly backwards. He charged the vampire, it would have to be exterminated before he saw to the safety of the woman, and prepared to deliver a blow with his sword.

However, the vampire was quick and easily dodged his blow, only to recieve a minor stab wound from a well planned blow with the sword. This game continued for awhile, with each trying to deliver a blow and only succeeding in, maybe, causing a minor wound.

Finally, D caught a break in the fight and landed a slash to the vampire's back, successfulyl cutting the man in half. After a few moments, the top half of the man slipped off with a sloshing sound, and then the vampire disintegrated into dust.

D then turned to the burning building. He looked for the woman, and was surprised to see her walk out of the wreckage brushing debris off her body. She was unharmed, maybe only a few scratches and cuts, far from what would be expected after having been thrown back into the burning wreckage.

Then he saw her hand. A red liquid, drawn hastily into the skin, caught his eye. Looking closely, he saw it was a symbol that looked like a pentagram, which meant only one thing.

The woman was a witch.

D was surprised, he had not expected any witches to still be around after purging night, when a mass groups of mobs had gone forth and exterminated any of supernatural blood lines including those that dabbled in magic.

The woman brushed some soot off her clothes and walked over to him. She looked around, and then faced him.

"Did you kill the guy?" she asked. D nodded. The woman groaned and walked back to the inn, muttering something under her breath. He guessed she was displeased as her failure to deliver the death blow. However, D was curious as the the woman, and he found himself following her.

"Are you a craft user?" he asked. The woman paused for a second and he could almost see he skin bristle with displeasure. Then, she continued walking.

"Hmm?" she asked nonchalantly, feigning that she had not heard him.

"That symbol, on your hand," D said, and he watched as the woman hastily wiped her hand on her pants.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the woman retorted angrily, placing her hands in her pockets.

"I'm just curious, I thought all craft users had been exterminated in the purging night," D said. The woman finally stopped walking and turned on him, facing him and keeping eye contact as she spoke.

"Tell me about yourself stranger and I might tell you a little about me," she said, crossing her arms.

"Hn......You may call me D. What do people call you?" he asked.

"Iris," the woman answered.

"So, Iris, are you a craft user?" asked D.

"Are you a Damphir?" she asked back at him.

D was surprised, but it made sense that a witch would be able to sense things unseen by human eyes.

"Yes, and may I inquire as to how you were able to so easily guess my secret?" he asked.

"Your aura gave it away. It is an aura much stronger then that of a normal human, but, less then that of a vampire. It seemed weaker when we traveled together earlier, so I didn't notice it," said the woman.

She turned and began leaving. However, before she entered the inn, she turned to face him again.

"Good Night D. Sleep well half breed," she said, before reentering the inn.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The next morning, against her wishes, Iris woke up as the dawn's light entered her room. She growled angrily and rolled over in an attempt to ward off the sun's light and the inevitability of consciousness. However, she overshot, and ended up hitting her shoulder when she fell off the bed and hit the ground, hard. Cursing, she stood up and walked to the bathroom. After a quick shower and change of clothes, Iris packed her things. All she planned to do was walk down to the bar and get something to eat before she left, and maybe stop at one of the shops to buy some supplies.

The bar smelled the same and was just as putrid as when she had last been down there. She tried pinching her nose shut in an attempt to block the smell. She walked up to the bar and brought her money puch out to catch the bartender's attention. It worked, and the fat slob looked her way.

"Yeah little lady?" he asked.

"I would like some breakfast please. Nothing fancy, just something to fill me up," she said coldly.

The bartender walked off and returned with a plate full of...stuff. Suppressing the urge to vomit, Iris paid the man and attempted to eat the...stuff...she guessed was food. Iris picked at it, putting a small chunk in her mouth. For being so vile, the food actually didn't taste that bad. She slowly ate the putrid dish, gulping down the gray blob so she wouldn't have to worry about collapsing from hunger later when she began traveling again.

"I'd like some breakfast please," a familiar voice said from behind her.

Iris turned around to see D. She turned away, deciding she should turn her attention more to the gray dish in front of her. D sat down on the empty stool besides her and stared at his own disgusting dish once the bartender brought it out. They sat in silence for a long time, both eating their own dishes. However, such a long period of silence felt awkward and Iris finally looked at D. He looked as tired as she was, hell, he looked even more tired.

"So, how are you?" she asked in an attempt to break the uneasy silence that had fallen.

"I'm fine. How are you?" he asked, continuing to eat his own gray blob.

"Just fine," she said.

Silence fell again before Iris said, "So what do you plan to do today?"

D took another bite of the gray blob.

"I'll probably start traveling again, and from those packed bags at you feet it looks like you might be traveling as well," said D.

"Yeah, I can't stay in one place too long after all," she said quietly.

Iris finished up the last of her, food, and quickly stood up, pleased that she could leave and exit from the awkward conversation, if it could be called that.

"Well, good bye then, D was it?" she asked.

"Yes. Good bye Iris," said D.

Iris quickly walked out the door and started her business for the day. After a quick stop at the shops, and a stop at the stables to get herself a horse, Iris rode off into the dessert towards the next town.

She rode for a long time, and nothing out of the ordinary happened for a good portion of it. Iris scanned the dessert with her eyes and when she failed to see any sort of supernatural creatures or bandits coming her way, or anything other than sand and dust, she sighed and resigned to the fact it was going to be a long, uneventful ride.

Suddenly, her horse stopped in its tracks. Its eyes bulged and it reared, the ears flattened to its head. Iris looked around the landscape, scanning for what she was sure was scaring the horse. Her orbs opened wide when she saw the sandworm spring up a couple hundred feet from where she was. Iris kicked the horse and held on as it sprinted across the dessert. A trail of dust and sand surrounded her as she rode, scanning to see if that huge sandworm might suddenly pop up in front of them or something.

Sandworms were way different then sand mantas. First off, Sand mantas would probably not eat you if they could avoid doing it, unlike sandworms, which would waste no time in gulping you down. Second, sand mantas were way less aggressive then sandworms.

Sure enough, an explosion of sand before the horse let her know that the sandworm had found them. The horse reared high into the air and Iris was thrown off. As she fell, it seemed that someone had replaced the sand, which might have cushioned the fall, with stone. Iris hit the ground so hard she was sure her ribs had been broken. She looked up just in time to see her horse run off and the worm go back into the ground. Iris grabbed her pack that had fallen beside her and took off running as fast as her abused body would allow.

Meanwhile, D was having an uneventful ride himself. He rode his huge black steed, the winds less severe than day then the before.

His thoughts travelled back to Iris. She was the first craft user he had ever seen. However, just because he had never met a craft user didn't mean he hadn't heard of them. Craft users were individuals able to call on the elements of nature to cast spells. Some spells could cure, and some could kill. Usually, craft users simply wanted to be left alone. They were a race that preferred their privacy.

In the past, they would help villagers, make potions and ward demons away. Sometimes, however, they would go on a violent rampage. He had heard stories of the rampages of craft users and the end, one of these rampages brought about the series of events that led to purging night.

D grabbed his horse and rode out of the town. A long silent period passed before his hand spoke up.

(D, was that really a craft user we saw last night?) Asked his hand.

"I guess, she said she was, and a pentagram was on her hand which is one of the characteristics of their kind, since pentegrams and other symbols are used in witchcraft," said D.

(Wow, I've never even seen one. They're almost extinct aren't they?) asked his hand.

"Yes, when the realm of mortals first heard of their kind, those who could use witch craft were revered and sought after. However, after people saw the negative affect of the craft users presence, they were all tortured and killed on purging night," said D.

(Poor guys huh. Hey....what's a horse doing in the dessert?)

D looked in the direction the hand had been looking. Sure enough, there was a horse, and it looked familiar, like one of the horses from the town


	4. Chapter 3:: Commissioned for the Hunt

Chapter 3

A hunt

Iris staggered up the small sand dune. Her feet were killing her, and from the vast amount of dessert still before her, Iris guessed she had A LOT more walking to do. She sighed deeply and continued to walk, groaning and complaining under her breath as she continued.

After the sandworm had attacked and her horse had run off, Iris found herself running for her life. She had been so scared that she hadn't paid any attention and had ended up hopelessly lost in the dessert. Now she was walking in a direction she prayed was north, her feet in extreme pain. She finally sighed and sat on the ground, causing a small cloud of dust.

"Great," she thought.

Then, she heard it. It was the sound of a horse, no wait, two horses trotting. She scanned the landscape again and her eyes fell on a black figure riding a horse with another trotting besides it. Her mouth twitched into a smile when she recognized the figure and horses.

"D!" she yelled, waving her hands. D changed direction and rode her way with her horse in tow. D nodded and stopped as she ran towards them.

"This is yours?" asked the damphir as she climbed back on her horse.

"Yeah, a sand worm popped up and scared the horse shitless," she explained curtly. After she had climbed back on, she and D rode across the dessert side by side in silence.

Just like in the bar, it was not long before Iris was unable to handle the silence and looked over at D.

"So, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself D? We have quite a bit of dessert to go," said Iris.

D thought it over a little.

"There isn't much to say," said D.

"We're in the middle of nowhere and you're the only person I can talk with. Just...tell me the abridged version of your past, or something," she said.

"Why don't you start," D countered.

"Alright, fine. Well, I don't know how but I ended up sitting in a patch of irises without an idea of who I was or how I ended up in the flowers to begin with when I was about five. My master found me, and raised me for about nine years until we were separated," said Iris.

"Separated?" D asked after a few seconds.

Iris was silent before she muttered, "villagers found out we were living nearby and wanted a repeat performance of purging night."

"Ah. Is that how you ended up traveling?" asked D.

"Yeah. I couldn't stay somewhere too long because, if I did, the villagers or townsfolk would notice I could use magic and then the flaming torches and pitchforks would come out," said Iris.

"Hunting the creatures of the night is a dangerous career, and it adds to the probability of your life ending in a violent and painful way, so why was it the one you decided to choose?" asked D.

"I was attacked in the woods one night by a werewolf. I killed it out of self defense, and then it turned out the damned thing had killed a few children in the village nearby and I was paid for simply acting out of self preservation. I figured I found a good job for myself. I've been hunting ever since. Now, let's hear a bit about you, from either your mouth, or that creature currently residing on your hand.

D nearly fell from his horse. He'd heard craft users were adept at sensing the presences of supernatural beings. Still, that fact that she had knowledge of the parasite in his hand was very surprising.

"So, it's true craft users can see things unable to be picked up by the human eye?" asked D. Iris chuckled.

"Not that simple," she started, "you have to train the 'sight.' And it's no so much as seeing as it is detecting the aura of your hand," said Iris.

(HOLY CRAP!) D's hand exclaimed. Iris cocked her head and smiled.

"So, does it get annoying, never being alone?" asked Iris.

"After so much time, it's something I've gotten used to. I'm sure that if it was removed tomorrow, it would be strange for me," D said.

(Well it would suck for me in case you're asking!) his hand yelled, apparently concerned that they were so casually talking about the absence of its presence.

Iris laughed and noticed something over a dune. It appeared to be a distant town, a perfect place for some rest and relaxation. She smiled at D and winked.

"I'll see you in town!" she said, before she rode off. D paused and watched her leave before he prompted his own horse into trotting after her.

(Well, this has gotten interesting!) His hand said.

"Interesting?" D asked.

(Have you forgotten how you get a majority...oh hell, all of your income?! How do you compete with a craft user?) his hand asked.

"Simple, stay out of he way, and if it comes down to competing with her, then take the prey first and get the money," muttered D.

(She seems very nice, why don't you just ask her for companionship. In addition, it would be nice to have a source of blood in close proximity )his hand said.

D thought about it, and then shrugged. She was an attractive young woman, but the idea of sharing his space with another was something he found rather alarming to contemplate. After such an extended period of time in which he'd travelled alone, companionship was not something he found he truly desired.

Shortly after entering the town, Iris took her horse to the stables for the night and then went about arranging for her own accommodations for the night. The inn was a bit dingy and dusty, much of the furniture looked like it had been in the room for a couple hundred years or so, but overall it was much better than the previous inn.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" asked a cheery looking bartender.

"A glass of water please, she said. As she sat there, she was aware of a man staring at her. She turned her eyes slightly to look in his direction. After a brief staring contest, the man walked over to her.

"Are you a hunter?" he asked.

"Who wants to know?" asked Iris coldly.

"There's a man trying to gather up all the hunters in town. He's got a big job, and he's paying me good money to get people for him. You interested?" he asked.

"Depends, what's the pay?" Iris asked.

"Go to town hall, he's holding a meeting there at sunset. I suggest you hurry," said the man. Iris nodded, finished her water, and then ran out of the inn.

There was already a substantial group of people in the hall when she arrived. Most of them were men. They stared at Iris as she weaved her way through and found a seat. She leaned back and closed her eyes, figuring she'd get a little rest before the meeting started.

"Yo, girlie," a gruff voice said behind her. Iris opened an eye and saw a huge, burley man standing to her right looking over at her. He had the making of a beard, bushy eyebrows, and reminded her of a badger with the amount of body hair that protruded from him.

"What?" Iris asked in annoyance. A skinnier, sticklike man with a crazed hair style leaned past the shoulder of the burley man.

"Just wondering what a dish like you is doing in a place like this. Surely you ain't a hunter," the skinnier one said. Iris's skin prickled.

"My business here is none of your concern gentlemen," she said, before closing her eyes and resuming her relaxed position.

A finger rudely prodding her shoulder took Iris once again from her relaxed state and she opened her eye again, hoping to convey the amount of annoyance she was feeling. It was the skinny man who poked her.

"How 'bout, after we see what the old geezer has to say, we go out for a few drinks. A couple of guys like us could really show a girl like you a good time!" said the skinny one. Iris rolled her eyes.

"I make it a point to avoid socializing with men who haven't even introduced themselves to me like polite people," said Iris haughtily.

"Well, is that the only problem? My name's Renalds, Gordon Renalds. This lump of flesh here is my partner, Dumbo. You got anything to say Dumbo?" the skinny one asked.

"Urgh," the larger one said. Iris rolled her eyes.

"Man of many words, your friend Gordon," she muttered, before trying to ignore them. It worked as successfully as before, Gordon grabbed her and she found herself on the ground.

"We told you our names, so what's yours girlie, or will we give you one?" asked Gordon.

"People get my name when I want them to know it, and personally I do not want you to know anymore about me than the fact I am going to be the hunter to bag this prize. Now, politely screw off and leave me alone!" she said, getting off the ground, pushing Gordon away from her, and walking away.

Someone pulled her back and caused her to hit the ground with a loud thump, jarring her head and nearly knocking her unconscious.

"I think someone needs to learn a little respect and I believe we could all do with a little entertainment, don't you?" Gordon asked the gathering crowd around the place where Iris had fallen. A chorus of cheers came forth and the man smiled.

"That's what I thought," Gordon said, advancing on her. Iris froze and her eyes widened as Gordon grabbed her hair and yanked her off the ground. She aimed a punch at his face and felt a slight bit of pleasure at the way he recoiled and then glared at her. Iris crouched down into a fighting pose as more men began to crowd around and advance on her.

"What's going on?" an elderly, worn voice yelled. Iris froze and watched as an older, slightly crippled old man came forward leaning heavily on a cane. The crowd backed away from Iris as she righted herself and smiled.

"It appears...nothing is going on," said Iris cautiously. The man walked up to her and stared her over.

"You ain't no hunter. Yer too young, too innocent to be hunting fiends of darkness," the old man said. Iris crossed her arms.

"Trust me sir, I am very good at what I do, and what I do is kicking evil's ass sir," said Iris with a smug smirk on her face. The old man shook his head and gently flicked her forehead, startling Iris and causing the crowd to snigger.

"That kind of an attitude get's people killed, I've seen it. If you're serious about this, I think you should get you ass sitting down so I can get my address under way," said the old man. Iris blinked.

"Your address?" asked Iris slowly. The old man nodded.

"Who do you think called all these people here, and who do you think is paying all of them a shit load of money? Now, I suggest you sit down, I'm only doing this once," said the old man. Iris did as he asked and sat down, watching as the rest of the crowd sat down, muttering amongst themselves. The old man hobbled up to the front of the room and began addressing the people.

"Well, well. Sorry lot of you all I got here," the man said, looking over the crowd. A few hoots and yells accompanied the start of the speech. Iris just rolled her eyes and settled back in her seat.

"Well, yer the best I can get, I guess. I'll tell you a bit about myself, give you some information on this hunt. My name's Brennan, Brennan Gregory. I was married, once, and I lost her when I was a younger man. We had a daughter, and she got married sometime ago. She and the bloke died, but not before she gave birth to my grand daughter, Lily," Brennan said, before pausing. His eyes seemed to glisten with tears and he took a deep breath.

"I've raised that little girl like I raised her mother. I watched over her, and then one night she up and disappears. I found out a vampire stole her, took her from her room in the dead of night. That was three and half months ago. I have commissioned many men to chase after her, and all of them have come back in body bags," Brennan continued. He motioned to a larger man standing by his side holding a black case.

"You'll all get 50,000 on accepting the hunt, and then if you can prove that you have killed the....the fiend. If you kill him, you get 2,000,000,000,000," the man said. A lot of yells and hollers erupted over the prize until Brennan waved his hand.

"If you are concerned about whether or not I can pay, I can assure you the years were good to me, financially, and I have no problem with supplying you with your prize. Lily was the last thing I had, and if it takes every drop of blood in my body, every hair on my head, I can promise you I will have the head of the creature who stole her from me," the man yelled. The room went quiet, not even the sound of breathing broke the silence that fell like a thick veil over the room.

"So, whose this vampire we're chasing?!" some random punk yelled from the front, bringing forth a slew of questions from the other men. The old man cleared his throat and waved his hand, silencing everyone again.

"I've heard his name as Arian, though it seems to change each city I head to, each person I ask. I've gotten estimates of his height, from 5ft 6in to 7ft 5in. He has blonde hair, and last I checked it was long enough to be pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes are deep blue, but this is very circumstantial as I have also gotten reports that he has green eyes. Due to our chasing him around, he's fled up north, but he's yet to be found so be wary while looking for him. This...thing is smart, very smart, and he is extremely elusive. Those who have managed to catch up with him have turned up in peices, he's very fond of ripping them apart and keeping the heart, eyes, and teeth for himself. Why he does this I have no idea, but it serves to show how sick this little fucking thing is," Brennan said. He took a deep breath and then broke into a coughing fit. The large man standing at his side came forward.

"To accept your money, come forward, give your name, and sign a contract. To claim the reward bring a piece of the vampire's body, or clothing, to us and we will determine whether or not you are truly telling the truth," the man said in a booming voice. Brennan continued to cough and hack, blood becoming evident as it soaked onto the white handkerchief he held to his mouth. He was walked off the stage by another man as the one with the suitcase dealt with the line of hunters gathering before him. Iris moved to get in line but was shoved out and landed on the floor. This brought about a roaring surge of laughter from the crowd.

"Go back to the bedroom where you believe," said one of the men in the crowd. Iris got off the floor, got into a position in the back of the line, and crossed her arms.

"I appears you are not too popular," said a familiar voice. Iris turned around to see D standing there. She smiled and pushed a few bangs from her forehead.

"I'm just not the type to back down and deal with their type. So, you in the hunt too?" she asked. D nodded and she smiled.

"Cool, I look forward to having you as a competetor," said Iris.

"As do I," D said. The rest of the time in the line passed in silence, until Iris reached the man with the briefcase of money.

"You're a hunter?" the man asked.

"No, I'm a llama. Of course I'm a hunter, now sign me up and give me my money," Iris said. The man laughed and shook his head.

"No kids, rule one of the hunt. Go home," the man said, trying to wave her off. Iris glared at him and stayed put. The man looked at her and rose from his seat.

"Sign me up," Iris commanded.

"You are too young, and you're a woman. Even the most dedicated man can be distracted by a woman. The men here are working for their money, they need no distractions. Now leave, before we carry you out," said the man. Two other guards appeared and Iris's hands wandered down to her knives.

"Try," she said. The man sighed and motioned for the others to take her out. Quickly Iris unsheathed her knives and crouched into a fighting position. The men approached her, and she leapt into action. Within a few seconds, the guards were on the ground and bleeding while Iris cleaned her knives and glared at the man with the briefcase.

"Now, sign me up and give me my money," she commanded. Behind her the crowd went silent, and Iris felt a surge of pride with the fear emitted off them. Now they all knew she meant business, and the hunt had not even begun.


End file.
